In the penultimate episode of the season, Orphan Black decides to slow things down and take a breather. Just kidding.
Cosima’s illness has been such a big part of the season; it’s amazing how little Cosima actually has to do in any given episode. This week it was just some brave little toastering. And what a brave little toaster she is, cracking wise with sexy breathing tubes in. Delphine is more desperate than ever to save her dreadlocked puppy and to prove her loyalty to the sisterhood. Which, unfortunately, Rachel was counting on. Cue manipulation scheme. I believed the “Benjamin is evil” plant at first just like Delphine. The Birdwatchers betrayed Mrs. S and, after all, Benjamin is Death on Supernatural. He literally plays Death. That is not a man to be trusted.

The Sarah was really Rachel bit really shocked me the first time through. On rewatch, it is obvious that Sarah is in fact Rachel. Her accent is off and her makeup is far too perfect. Rachel tends to wear a lot more foundation than her sisters, giving her skin a creepy, wax-figuresque glow. Speaking of creepy, how about Rachel watching old home videos of herself in a super shiny room while drinking a martini, laughing, talking to herself, and hitting herself in the face? What was all that about besides trying to give me nightmares?

So Kira, being absurdly mature, decides to donate her bone marrow to help her Aunt Cosima (who she still hasn’t met, by the way) and is rewarded for her trouble with a nice kidnapping. This show has gone to some unsettling places, but seeing Kira wake up in a room at Dyad all decorated and ready for her might honestly be the most unsettling thing yet. Rachel obviously has plans for Kira and if that doesn’t make you shudder, you’re a stronger person than me.

Alison spent the episode bonding with her husband over body disposal. Did it disturb anyone else how good Alison was at the whole thing? Has she done this before? How many people are buried under that garage? All Donnie and Alison’s scenes together were really...cute, which seems wrong to say. From Alison wrapping Leekie up in pink duct tape to her sniping at Donnie for not keeping his dirt pile on the thoughtfully laid out plastic, it was all gold. Donnie and Alison seem to be making a late play for cutest clone couple. Turns out burying a body in your garage can be a real turn on. Who knew?

Now onto the main event: Helena. Helena realizes what the Proleatheans are about and wastes no time escaping...again. But not before murdering Henrik rather graphically. I’m not going to say it wasn’t poetic justice, but, wow was that gross. Helena also helps Mark and Gracie, officially refugee from a Law and Order: SVU episode, escape too. Gracie has been impregnated with more of the Helena/Henrik embryos. Which is disgusting. Henrik is her father. This gets me wondering if all the kids at the farm were Henrik’s. Which...just...ew. Also how old is Gracie? This is really bugging me. Mark is apparently 19, despite looking about 30. Is Gracie really 40? Or is she 12? 22? 17?

Neolutionist Bits and Proleathean Pieces

Alexis the abusive midwife was played by Kathryn Alexandre, Tatiana Maslany’s acting double. Glad to see her get some screentime for all the work she puts in on the show.

Mark, like Paul and Sammy, has a military background. Coincidence?

Why do Marian and Rachel dress all sexy corporate for work at Dyad and Delphine always dresses like she’s going on a romantic picnic in the woods?

What was going on with Mrs. S’s braids?

Presumably Helena did not burn down the building that houses the children at the farm.

Clone Quotes

Cosima: “How ‘bout these nose tubes? Sexy, right?”

Sarah: “My sister’s dying, Fee.”

Cosima: “He’s a virgin, in case you couldn’t tell.”

Scott: “Aw, shoot darn.”
Could Scott be Alison’s secret sole mate?

Sarah: “What kind of mother am I?”
Delphine: “The best and the bravest. And a very, very good sister.”

8 comments:

OMG, Alison and Donnie. I *loved* them. I loved every moment in that garage. Loved Helena and Grace finally bonding and Helena taking down Peter Outerbridge in a way I'm not going to think on for very long.

The way everyone keeps trying to grab Kira like she was the Maltese Falcon just ticks me off.

How different the Fish Farm scenes were on rewatch. First time through I got caught up in the whole children are sweet thing, thinking OK, Proletheans are evil but there's some nuanced good there. Second time through after seeing Henrik's true agenda, they were hella creepy. Took a while but I knew Henrik would eventually find out his bride of Frankenstein really is the monster.

Now we know, maybe more than we want to, what the Prolethean's whole agenda was re clones: perpetuating Henrik's DNA in the Lord's name. We still don't know what Dyad's clone end game is. 210 hopefully will reveal. I know it's an SF trope/cliche, but I keep coming back to human slavery. After all, the ancient Romans ran a great empire on the backs of human slaves. Corporations like to market to people from cradle to grave. Maybe this is the next step. Why bother to persuade people if you can just engineer them instead?

The scene with Sarah and Fee putting Kira under was heartbreaking.

Cosima can rock some sexy nose tube!

My favorite beat between Donnie and wonderful, snippy, bitchy Alison, was when they got seriously beast with two backs and threw off all four of their bulky work gloves in unison! Everyone! You simply must try that at home first chance!

Helena. Helena who shot clones dead after making dolls of them. Helena who made bad food manners an art form. Helena who stabbed her birth mother to death. Helena who died and came back to life. Helena who saved Sarah's life. Helena who loves super sunshine hits. Helena who beat up a bar. Helena who makes cute pig noises and really loves other children. Helena who rammed cow babies up where they've never been before and burned down a farm. Helena who is now pregnant. Helena. What a piece of work.

"Why do Marian and Rachel dress all sexy corporate for work at Dyad and Delphine always dresses like she’s going on a romantic picnic in the woods?"

I work in a lab and really, the last thing you want to wear there is something sexy and corporate. Not that "romantic picnic in the woods" is necessarily more appropriate, but between the two, I'd definitely choose the latter!

When I first watched the episode, I wasn't sure I was loving it, I still have so many questions about most of the characters, but reading your review reminded me of all the great moments from the episode, whether they were funny, touching or creepy. BTW, I think one of my favorites must be Donnie in the van with Vic and Angie, hilarious!`I always thought of Grace as being in her late teens like 16, 17 or 18, not as young as 12 or 13. Still, the whole thing is very creepy. And I loved her and Helena bonding, it made so much sense.

Mark's comment about him being in the military also struck me as significative, why would we care if it wasn't for Paul and Sammy.

I agree, great review! And also this show...Calling Donnie and Allison a cute couple really sums it all up. I'm not sure how but this show makes a very twisted reality seem not normal but acceptable, expected and somehow cute. What a feat of writing and acting.